Week 3 at Washington Commanders
So far in 2023, it appears Latavius Murray is getting some goal line and short yardage runs. He scored a touchdown last week and even though he was only on the field for 23% of the games, the Bills seems to like him as the next back up behind James Cook.
Murray only received eight touches, but his type of usage puts him on the fantasy radar, although probably still not ready to be on a fantasy roster quite yet.
Week 17 at Kansas City Chiefs
Latavius Murray only played 47% of the Broncos' offensive snaps in Week 16 and only got eight carries to go along with a single catch on three targets. Murray is the Broncos' lead back at this point in the season, but that role is not particularly valuable in fantasy as he still splits work and the Broncos struggle to move the ball and score points on a consistent basis. The Chiefs actually boast a decent run defense and there are serious game script concerns for Murray this week in a road matchup against Patrick Mahomes. Murray works as a desperation flex play given his role, but he also carries the potential to give you virtually nothing in fantasy if this game gets out of hand early.
Week 16 at Los Angeles Rams
Latavius Murray saw workhorse usage with Russell Wilson inactive in Week 15. Murray played 67% of Denver's offensive snaps and carried the ball 24 times on his way to 142 total yards and a touchdown. Do not be surprised if that ends up being Murray's best fantasy performance of the season, as he benefited both from a run-heavy game plan without Wilson under center and a favorable game script due to the Cardinals' own quarterback debacle. Marlon Mack has emerged as a legitimate pass catching option for the Broncos over the past couple of weeks, a development that caps Murray's ceiling and renders him game script dependent. The good news is the Rams boast a weak run defense while being solid against the pass. Murray is a flex option simply based on his role and projected volume.
Week 15 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Latavius Murray only played 51% of the Broncos' offensive snaps in Week 14 and logged a mere 31 yards on eight carries and three catches. Denver's inability to score leaves them in negative game scripts with frequency and the running back box scores suffer as a result. The Cardinals are weak defensively, but the touches in this Denver offense are so inefficient that the fantasy floor for everyone involved is low, even for a "lead back" like Murray. He finds himself in the RB3 range based on volume and matchup alone, but Murray remains a risky start for fantasy purposes.
Week 14 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Latavius Murray was the Broncos' clear lead back in Week 13 against Baltimore, but that role was only good for 61 scoreless yards on 21 touches. It would appear Murray is locked into a solid workload on a weekly basis, but he is going to be highly inefficient as a 32-year-old running back playing in arguably the NFL's worst offense. Murray will also deal with serious game script concerns this week with the Broncos hosting the Chiefs' high-octane offense and Denver being 9.5 point underdogs at home. Murray is on the flex radar simply because he should see decent volume and will likely get any goal line carries the Broncos' offense manages to produce, but he, along with the rest of the Broncos, have a very low floor in fantasy.
Week 13 at Baltimore Ravens
Latavius Murray looks like the Broncos' workhorse by default at this point, with the Denver backfield ravaged by injuries and an incredibly inefficient offense. Marlon Mack exists on the roster, but he is unlikely to do more than change up the pace behind Murray given their usage this season. Murray should see plenty of touches down the stretch, but his main issue is that those are going to be very low-value touches made up primarily of carries on early downs for one of the league's worst offenses. The Broncos struggle to score more than one touchdown any given week, meaning the floor for everyone in the offense is stunningly low. Murray is worth a shot as a desperation flex play just based on volume, but the reality is things are just getting uglier in Denver at this point.
Week 12 at Carolina Panthers
We've reached a surreal point in the Broncos' season where Latavius Murray is now their unquestioned lead back following the release of Melvin Gordon and Chase Edmonds' injury. This backfield has been an utter disaster for fantasy since Javonte Williams went down with a torn ACL, but at least we now have some clarity on who will likely getting the majority of touches every week. That being said, the Broncos rank 32nd in total touchdowns and points per game on the season, reminding us that Murray is now the lead back for one of the NFL's worst offenses. You can start Murray based on pure volume and the off chance he gets a short touchdown, but there is not much upside here and he is a flex option at best against Carolina in Week 12.
Week 11 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Latavius Murray played 31% of the Broncos'' offensive snaps in Week 10 and saw nine carries to go along with three targets. Murray only managed 47 scoreless yards on those opportunities as a part-time player in a bad offense. Given his role and the offensive situation in Denver, Murray has very little fantasy appeal and is entirely reliant on getting in the end zone to have a decent day. Murray should be on the bench in the vast majority of fantasy leagues.
Week 10 at Tennessee Titans
Latavius Murray looks set to be one-third of a committee in the Denver backfield alongside Melvin Gordon and the newly-acquired Chase Edmonds. Needless to say, a three-way backfield with usage uncertainty is not appealing for fantasy, particularly on a team that struggles to score points. The Titans have a solid run defense, which is the cherry on top of the reasons not to start any Broncos running back this week in fantasy leagues.
Week 8 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
Latavius Murray worked behind Melvin Gordon in Week 7 and got eight carries to go along with a pair of receptions. Murray does not have much upside as the lesser part of a split backfield in a bad offense. The Broncos will travel to London to take on the Jaguars and their mediocre run defense in Week 8, but Murray simply cannot be used as a starter in fantasy without an injury to Gordon to clear out some more opportunity.
